


Fragile Relationships

by DebbieF



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Gen, Tag to Season Seven's Fragile Balance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-13
Updated: 2013-07-13
Packaged: 2017-12-19 07:40:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/881209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DebbieF/pseuds/DebbieF
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes you have to have someone else do your dirty work for you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fragile Relationships

Looking at his watch Daniel knew that school was about to get out; earlier that morning Jack had dropped off his clone at Cheyenne Mountain High School. So, this was his opportunity to extend the hand of friendship to the young boy.  
  
++++  
  
Finally, school was done for the day and Jon, for one, was glad of it. He wondered if he had made the right decision; all those giggling girls and bold glances cast his way made him uncomfortable and he didn't know why. Life as he knew it was going to go on its merry way, whether he liked it or not…this was his bed and now he had to lie in it.  
  
His apartment, that had been set up by the military, wasn't too far away from the school and he had decided to walk; getting his own car, at this juncture, was a bit premature and he knew that he'd have to wait on that. But, at least he was legally emancipated and didn't have to stay with foster parents; that would have been too gross to even contemplate.  
  
A car slowed and pulled up near the curb where he was walking; Jon stopped, when he saw the passenger side window slide slowly down. Being cautious, the teenager didn't get near the vehicle but leaned down to see who was behind the steering wheel. "Daniel!"  
  
"The one and only," Daniel gave him a small smile. "Figured you'd need a ride home and maybe…a friend."  
  
"Right on both counts, Danny." The nickname slipped easily off his tongue for his old friend, or should he say for Jack O'Neill's old friend. These type of things always left him confused; whose thoughts were whose. Jon knew a shrink would have a field day with his mind.  
  
Opening the car door, Jon slid his long legs inside and then buckled up. "Thanks!" Turning his head, the youngster gave Daniel a thoughtful look. "Um, isn't this going against the O'Neill," Jon air quoted, " _Rules of Engagement_?"  
  
Laughing outright, Daniel responded. "Last time I looked, Jon…you weren't the enemy. The archaeologist shrugged his shoulders, "at least not in my book." Pulling away from the school, he headed toward Jon's place. "So, how was your first day?"  
  
"Everything I thought it would be and worse," Jon winced, as the car went past a girl who waved and winked at him.  
  
"First conquest?" Daniel asked out of curiosity.  
  
"Nightmare, actually," Jon replied with a chuckle and ran a hand through his, already, mussed up hair. "Some people will never realize what it's like to get a second chance at life," he paused and glanced at Daniel, "then again… you'd know."  
  
"Jack keeps a scorecard on me," Daniel let slip while pulling up to Jon's apartment building.

  
"What?" Jon sputtered in shock, "you mean like how many times you've died and came back?"  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
"The man is something else, Daniel."  
  
"You'd know, Jon." Throwing back the teenager's earlier words at him.  
  
"Can we talk about something other than him?"  
  
"Sure…name your topic, Jon."  
  
"Right now I just want to get inside and forget this day ever happened."  
  
As they both stepped out of the car and headed inside the building, another teenager girl, who apparently knew Jon, waved at him.  
  
Watching Jon's half hearted wave back, Daniel smiled to himself. "School couldn't have been that bad, from what I can see."  
  
"Daniel."  
  
"Jon."  
  
"Oh shut up!" Jon waited until the young girl left his view and grabbed Daniel by the arm, literally shoving him through the door.  
  
"Jon, you don't have to do the whole high school bit again, if it's leaving such a bad taste in your mouth. In another few years you'll be eighteen and can do whatever you please with your life."  
  
"So, what is it that you're actually suggesting I do in the meantime, Daniel?"  
  
"Work at the SGC," Daniel threw out lightly, as they approached the elevator; he observed Jon jab at the button until the doors swished open. Once they were inside it, Daniel prodded the younger man. "You know you really want too."  
  
"And run into _myself_!" Jon cocked his head at an angle and glared at Daniel. "Did you hit your head on something on your way to pick me up?"  
  
Ignoring the teen's words, Daniel said, "the SGC is a big place. I have it on good authority that one could work there for years and not run into the same person twice. I'm sure General Hammond could make arrangements so that you and Jack wouldn't _collide._ "  
  
"Heaven forbid that my world and his should ever cross paths again, Danny."  
  
"It's a waste of your talent to go through school again…unless you really want too, Jon." Daniel watched a myriad of expression cross the young man's face. "Think long and hard on your decision because it's not too late to change your mind."  
  
"How do you even know Jack would go for this gig?"  
  
"It's Hammond's call…not Jack's." When the elevator reached the fourth floor, Daniel followed Jon out.  
  
"Tempting as it sounds, I'd rather be flying jets, Danny."  
  
"That could be arranged as well."  
  
"Gee, you're awfully accommodating." Jon dug into his jeans to extract the key to his apartment and opened the door. "If I didn't know better, I'd swear General Hammond put you p to this."  
  
"Nope, just being the voice of reason." Jon didn't look like he believed him, so Daniel added dryly, "I am a diplomat you know."  
  
"One of your many talents, Danny boy." Jon indicated one of the chairs. "sit a spell…Mi casa es su casa."  
  
Laughing, Daniel remarked, "Jack says that all the time."  
  
Grimacing, Jon replied, "did you have to remind me of that?"  
  
Mouthing _sorry_ to the teen, Daniel sat down. "I see you're adapting yourself well, going by your taste in décor," he indicated several bean bag chairs positioned in the room, "but I like it, Jon. The place suits you." Looking around the apartment, he saw various framed pictures of jets in flight along with collectible science fiction posters hanging on the walls.  
  
"Wal-mart had a sale!" Jon grinned devilishly at him. "And thanks, this places suits my purposes."  
  
Leaning forward, Daniel asked, "how so?"  
  
"Nothing too complicated," Jon handed the other man a soda, "I can pack up and leave whenever I want."  
  
"That doesn't sound like you want to put down roots." Daniel started to worry.  
  
Jon stared at his own can of pop, while trying to avoid looking in Daniel's caring blue eyes. "Roots can die a slow death, Danny."  
  
"And relationships can be fragile," Daniel added softly.  
  
Looking back at him, Jon wasn't sure what he was getting at. "Huh?"  
  
"You and _relationships_ never did get along."  
  
"You're talking about Jack not me, Daniel."  
  
"No…no, I'm talking about _you_ now." Seeing that the youngster was about to put up an argument, Daniel held up his hand. "Hear me out."  
  
Removing his glasses, Daniel exchanged glances with the boy. "Technically, everything about you is a younger version of Jack O'Neill. In Jack's own words, he was never the _touchy feely_ type of guy…with the cloning procedure, you inherited that from him. But, that doesn't mean you have to _be_ him." Getting no reaction from Jon, Daniel stood up. "Is any of this making sense to you?"  
  
"It's scary, Daniel," Jon admitted.  
  
"What is?"  
  
"That I understood every word you babbled."  
  
"I do not _babble_!"  
  
"Do too!"  
  
"Not!"  
  
"Do!"  
  
"Shades of Jack O'Neill!" Daniel exclaimed in disgust. "Looks like some things will remain the same after all" he sighed.  
  
Holding his empty soda can high in the air, Daniel nodded at Jon. "Since you understood my message, I guess my job here is done." Digging in his shirt pocket, he got his notepad out and scribbled something quickly on it. Handing the paper to the teenager, he grinned. "My e-mail address at home and at work, along with my home phone and cell numbers."  
  
"Cool! Thanks, Danny!"  
  
"Do us all a favor and think really hard about what I said, Jon."  
  
This time the youngster stood up and shook Daniel's hand. "I hope _what's his name_ appreciates your friendship."  
  
Giving the boy a shy smile, Daniel cocked his head. "It's a solid foundation."  
  
"Riiiight," Jon drawled. "Don't be a stranger, ya hear. You have an open invitation to come by anytime."  
  
"I may hold you to that." Slapping the younger man on the back, the archaeologist left.  
  
++++  
  
*Jack O'Neill's house later that evening*  
  
"Did he go for it, Daniel?"  
  
"Jon's thinking about it, Jack. I still thought it would have been better coming from you."  
  
Taking a sip of beer, Jack shook his head. "No, better this way, Danny. My relationship with the kid is shaky at best."  
  
"If you had handled the whole _clone thing_ better than you did, Jon may not have felt so alienated from you." Daniel decided to leave the rest of his thoughts unspoken on that subject. "I gave Jon food for thought and we'll just give him some time to digest it all and see where it leads him."  
  
"If Loki had cloned you, Daniel, I don't think you'd be sitting there taking it so calmly," Jack shot back.  
  
"Well, it didn't happen to me, so no use worrying about it, Jack."  
  
Deciding the more he didn't dwell on his cloning, the better he felt, Jack raised his beer bottle in the air and clinked it against his best friend's. "To relationships…whether fragile or strong."  
  
The End


End file.
